Design: Musical granite benches

(June 2010) Poland is celebrating Frédéric Chopin’s 200th anniversary and Warsaw has prepared a special installation: black granite park benches were set up along a path making reference to one of the most famous 19th century piano composers who bequeathed his heart to be laid to rest in a church in the Polish Capital.

Those expecting mere inscriptions in the stone benches will be surprised to find 2d barcodes engraved in the stone: the barcodes can be photographed with help of a mobile phone. Upon sending the information the user will be informed of special events.

Furthermore each bench is equipped with a knob allowing passers-by to take a rest and listen to a 30-second piece by the composer. The electronic components are resilient and can withstand temperatures of -45°C to +85°C according to a webpage-information (Polish).

Another more inconspicuous installation is situated next to the Chopin Museum: here black stripes are systematically distributed among the grey granite slabs reminiscent of piano keys.

One of the many „A House for ….“-competitions was commissioned by Icarch on the occasion of Johann Sebastian Bach’s anniversary. Any and all ideas were eligible to compete. The participation fee is 30 € (or 15 € for students). Award-winning ideas will be published free of charge on the internet and participants will be invited to participate in further competitions at no extra cost. Applications will be accepted until June 28th together with a draft of the project.